Dandelions

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 Really ! Dandelions?!

Yes really. Dandelions are more interesting than you think. There is a whole family of these yellow flowers with long tap roots. Our meadow today looks much better for having the Hawkbit in flower. Hawkbit is closely related to the more common dandelion - so named because in Medieval times it was thought that birds of prey would eat the flowers to improve their eyesight and hence their hunting skills.


Dandelions get their name from the shape of the leaves. They look like lions teeth (apparently) and the French is "Dent du Lion" hence "Dandelion". 

Nowadays dandelions are regarded as unimportant weeds and a nuisance. In former times the plants were used in medicine as a diuretic and to cure scurvy and all sorts of other things. The roots of dandelion have been dried and used as a sort of coffee. You may never look past dandelions in the same way again!

Diary
Not much in the moth trap (6 moths). Perhaps a full moon and a clear sky provide a competing light source. I did get one common swift moth which I haven't seen here before. On the way out to collect my camera traps this morning I disturbed a tawny owl. We saw a lot of them last year but they seem to be operating in a more distant area from the house this year. The camera traps were interesting. I had about a dozen clips of foxes. I am pretty sure that two of the individuals are cubs and I did get one clip with two foxes in it at the same time. I also caught a badger in the same area looking into rabbit holes only 5 mins apart from the foxes. That must be a dangerous place to live if you are a rabbit!










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